


Love Endures

by PriTheWriter



Category: Good Omens (TV), Good Omens - Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett
Genre: F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-10
Updated: 2019-07-10
Packaged: 2020-06-25 16:58:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,502
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19749928
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PriTheWriter/pseuds/PriTheWriter
Summary: Sometimes, despite all the odds, love endures. Two people find each other, find they are made for each other, and never let go. Even if they are pulled apart, even if they forget one another, love endures.





	Love Endures

No one remembers the true beginning. Oh sure, they talk about what it was like- all beautiful and poetic or dark and powerful- but no one really knows. The beginning for them, however, was something everyone remembered. It wasn’t like one minute there was darkness and then they were in Heaven, it was just nothing and then they existed. They weren’t anything before God created them.

But then She did and placed them in Heaven, a verifiable paradise if anyone knew it. No one was confused either, they had been made knowing their reason for being and place in existence and immediately set about doing it. Well, almost everyone. Some were confused at first, questioned their role, but the Almighty set them straight and all was well.

They went about the work, creating the Earth, stars, and everything in between, along with humans themselves. But some questioned, doubted. Why? What was all this for? Why did they need to watch over humans? Why couldn’t they do what they wanted? And why were some things banned? What was the point of it all?

As dissent grew, one among the rank of questioners asked a different question than his fellows. Why did humans need to suffer? As the angel of healing, it seemed to come off that he merely wanted to get out of his work. But that wasn’t true, Raphael simply wanted to know why suffering was necessary. It was his job to heal, to help the humans when they suffered. By if God made and planned everything, why did She make suffering?

These questions weighed on the mind of the Archangel, and as the dissenters grew in number he found himself siding more and more on their side. And then, It happened. War in Heaven, angel against angel. Raphael hadn’t wanted this! He hadn’t wanted war! But it was too late, the other angels had counted him in the numbers of the dissenters.

And so he was forced to fight and eventually came to face a familiar face on the battlefield. Aziraphale, an angel who Raphael had found companionship in during the existence in Heaven. They had perhaps created the concept of love together, or the Almighty had created it with them, it was something they would discuss at lengths sometimes between moments spent together, tenderly.

But now they were on opposite sides in the war, staring at each other as Heaven burned around them. Raphael wouldn’t fight Aziraphale, he wouldn’t. And Aziraphale could never harm his love. Raphael dropped his caduceus and Aziraphale loosened his grip on his flaming sword, but before it could fall from his grasp a booming voice called out from around them all, “You have brought sin to Heaven, Lucifer. For this, you are banished, cast out with your compatriots to fall to earth, twisted and cursed evermore. Let none remember your sin and selves save you.”

Raphael managed to give Aziraphale one last look, cast his hand out to his love, before he plummeted down to Earth as a firey inferno.

* * *

None of them really remember what the fall was like, not really. They speculate and guess and pretend to know, of course. The general guess is falling while being on fire and crash landing in the sulfur pits of hell. In fact, they don’t remember much at all about what it was like before the Fall. They know the basics, of course: they were once angels, but rebelled against God, and were cast out of heaven for it. Now they were the Fallen, demons who would tempt mankind to sin so they would go to hell for their Master, Lucifer.

But beyond than that, they didn’t remember anything, especially not themselves. For some, it wasn’t too much to worry about. Others found it as just one more insult the Almighty heaped onto them. But some found it disturbing, disconcerting even. Crawley was one of these. In the early centuries, it was something of great concern to him. But then Eden happened.

He had been appointed as representative of Hell on Earth, and his first assignment was to tempt Adam and Eve- the first humans- to partake of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge and create the first sin among mankind. It went spectacularly well, really. Just lead them over to the tree, say “Get up there and make some trouble,” and bam temptation accomplished.

That’s when he met him. Aziraphale, angel of the eastern gate, guardian of Eden, representative of Heaven on Earth. They should have hated each other; angel and demon, natural enemies there. But for some inexplicable reason, he felt comfortable around the angel, even… happy? Was that the word for it? Crawley had never felt happy before. But he felt it around Aziraphale. Odd.

They would continue to be around each other for millennia. They met again in Mesopotamia, just before God flooded it and killed everyone except those on Noah’s ark. Crowley always knew his side was bad and the opposition was good, but that day… doubt was sowed in his mind. God killed kids. Kids! That was fucked up! Hell was in no way good, but maybe Heaven wasn’t perfect after all.

Heaven was in no way perfect. It was just as bad as Hell. God didn’t care about the humans, about any of them. If She could condemn her own son to a death like that, nailed to a cross and left to die of any number of ailments, then She truly did not care. Crowley always knew She planned to test humanity, but doubted she would destroy them in the process. But that was the plan, wasn’t it? Armageddon.

* * *

So Armageddon had been avoided. The Antichrist refused his destiny, sent Satan packing with just a few words, and Aziraphale and himself were free to enjoy as many lunches at the Ritz as they wanted thanks to the prophecies of one Agnes Nutter, Witch. And so Crowley sat there in the Ritz, drinking his champagne while his angel enjoyed his dessert.

“Crowley… there’s something I’ve been thinking about lately.” Aziraphale said tentatively, looking down at his dessert rather than Crowley. His interest piqued, Crowley asked with a single raised brow, “And what would that be, Angel?”

“Well… we’ve already gotten in as much trouble as we could possibly and made it out fine, with Heaven and Hell agreeing to leave us alone, at least for a little, so I was thinking… I wanted to say that I… I love you Crowley.”

Crowley had unfortunately chosen that moment to take a sip of his champagne and inexplicably found himself choking on it in surprise. After hacking his demonic lungs out, he sputtered at Aziraphale, who was nervously reaching out to him, “What?”

“I- I said I loved you. I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have- I didn’t realize-” Aziraphale started to say, looking ashamed of all things, so Crowley quickly reached out and grabbed his hand to say, “Angel- Aziraphale, it’s okay. I… the feeling is mutual.”

The hesitant yet joyous smile that overtook Aziraphale’s features made Crowley feel little butterflies in his stomach, although he would swear to Go- Sat- someone that that was completely untrue.

“I’m so glad. You had me worried there, you know. I thought you might feel the same, but I wasn’t completely sure.”

“Well, I do. You- I-” Crowley tried to say, but found it hard to put his feelings into proper words. Aziraphale simply smiled, seemingly reading his thoughts, and said, “It’s quite alright dear. This is enough for me.”

* * *

A decade passed by in a blur, as it always did for the angel and demon, but this time it was spent differently. For once, they felt truly at ease and content, no longer having to watch their backs all the time and just able to be together as they wished. One day, Aziraphale had the wonderful little idea to get married. They were well past traditional mortal relationships, but it seemed like a nice little idea, so Crowley went along with it. Anything to make his Angel happy.

They decided to have the ceremony in Tadfield- seemed appropriate- with a small guest list and a modest ceremony followed by an absolutely wicked reception. They invited the few human friends they had, Adam and the Them- all young adults now- Anathema and Newt Device-Pulsifer, (Ex) Witchfinder Sergeant Shadwell, and Madame Tracy, plus a few acquaintances they had. They also decided to invite the host of Heaven and forces of Hell during one night of heavy drinking. And to everyone’s surprise, Archangel Gabriel and Lord Beelzebub actually showed up, if out of fear of the couple alone.

The wedding ceremony itself was charming yet simple, set in one of the picturesque hillsides of Tadfield with the grooms exchanging vows underneath an apple tree adorned with decorations. Their rings were matching silver bands with inscriptions that read “Love Endures” on them. Aziraphale was dressed in a fine black suit, with silk adorning parts of the jacket, and a tartan tie of all things. Crowley, of course, went full diva and was wearing a white suit dress, unable to decide between the two, so he decided to go with both. Aziraphale read a poem for his vows, of course, and Crowley was glad he was wearing his glasses so no one would know he was getting mist eyed. Besides his Angel, of course. Crowley’s were more simple, of course, but his heart had been poured into them.

“Aziraphale. You and I are hereditary enemies. And yet, here we are, in love and getting married. You are my moon, my stars, my love. You are my everything. That someone so bright, so kind, so brilliant could love a wicked thing like me… It gives me hope, Angel. I love you.”

When he looked up from his cards, Crowley saw Aziraphale was crying, with the biggest smile on his tear-streaked face. He didn’t even wait for the minister to say her bit before he rushed in to kiss Crowley, who dropped his cards to wrap his arms around Aziraphale, gladly kissing him back.

They could have stayed like that for eternity- literally, since angels and demons didn’t need to breathe- but they remembered their guests and the wedding and pulled away after a moment. The officiator chuckled a bit and said, “You know you’re supposed to wait until after the ceremony to kiss. Now, Aziraphale, do you take Crowley to be your lawfully wedded husband?”

“I do.” Aziraphale said, with tears in his lovely blue eyes.

“And Crowley, do you take Aziraphale to be your lawfully wedded husband?”

“Definitely, yeah.” Crowley said, completely composed and not at all crying under his glasses.

“Then by the power vested in me by you two, I pronounce you married. You may kiss… again.” The officiator said with a grin. Aziraphale stepped up then, placing one hand on Crowley’s waist and the other on his back before leaning into kiss him, dipping Crowley back. The demon enjoyed this immensely, snaking his arms around his husband as they embraced.

A loud cheer went up from the audience, likely from the Them, as Crowley heard a few party poppers go off next, showering he and Aziraphale in streamers and confetti. They laughed against each other's lips before standing up proper and looking to their guests with smiles.

Deciding to end the pomp and ceremony there, the newly dubbed husbands mingled with the crowd as cake was miracled up out of thin air. Aziraphale chatted happily with the humans and after casting a wary look to Beelzebub and Gabriel, Crowley did as well, until both noticed one person neither recognized.

She was an older woman, blonde hair and tan skin marked with silver streaks and wrinkles, but still somewhat attritive in her age. She was dressed in an informal black and white suit, with pinstriped, loose-fitted pants, a white shirt, and a black blouse as a jacket with simple white flats. The only thing that stood out on her was her glasses, black and round like Crowley’s but with a thin silver frame instead. Crowley noticed them first since the woman happened to be starring at him and Aziraphale from her seat.

“Hey, Angel, did you invite that woman over there?” Crowley asked his husband quietly. Aziraphale glanced subtly over to the woman, then responded, “No. I thought you did.”

They shared a look, then excused themselves from the other guests before walking over to the woman. Crowley tried to get a read on her, but couldn’t for some reason, and that perturbed him somewhat. Aziraphale politely asked her, “Pardon us madam, but- er- who might you be? I’m sorry, but we don’t recall.”

“Hm. I suppose it’s fair you wouldn’t recognize me, I don’t think I’ve ever used this form before anyway. In fact, I’ve never had a form. But I wanted to actually be here today, not just watching like I usually do.” The woman answered, immediately raising alarms for both the demon and angel.

“Who in G- Sa- someone’s name are you?” Crowley asked. The woman actually laughed, then said, “You had it right on the first try there.”

It took them a moment, but then the realization must have dawned on their faces, because God laughed again. They were silent for a moment after that, just staring at the actual Almighty in shock. God seemed to sense they needed a moment, because she glanced over at their supernatural guests and said, “Ah, Archangel Gabriel and Lord Beelzebub, good to see you again!”

The two must have been eavesdropping, because Beelzebub immediately sank into the ground to flee and Gabriel dropped his untouched cake, staring at God in shock and reverence. God, however, seemed to shift in mood suddenly, her lips turning into a tight frown as she told the Archangel, “You disappoint me, Gabriel.”

She flicked her wrist at him and he disappeared in a flash of light, his look of pure horror cemented into Crowley’s mind. The prick deserved that, for sure.

“Don’t worry, I just sent him back upstairs. Honestly, I’m disappointed by his whole department. “Great Plan” my ass. Just a bunch of tools, they are. But anyways, I’m not here for them. I’m here for you two.” God told Crowley and Aziraphale, shocking them out of their silence.

“My Lord, if this is about Armageddon, I-” Aziraphale started, but was stopped by the Almighty raising a single hand. She took off her glasses, revealing why she needed them: her eyes seemed to hold the galaxy, stars, planets, and everything in between. She smiled at the demon and angel, then said, “It is, but not in the way you think.”

Crowley honestly didn’t know what to think about God being at his wedding. He was shaken, for sure, and confused. A little fear, anger, and the want to protect Aziraphale were thrown in too. But more than anything, he felt… he wasn’t sure what it was. It was like his soul was on the very edge of annihilation, but he was still standing his ground in the face of everything. It was a strange thing to feel right now.

“My plan is ineffable, as you both know. Heaven, Hell, and Earth have all tried and failed to grasp it. Heaven has its Great Plan, Hell has its schemes, Earth has its religion. Some were close, others way out there,” God spoke, standing up and brushing some dust from her suit, “Armageddon, according to many, was supposed to be the end times. But then you two happened. Well, you helped of course, but the main heroes of the day were the Them and Adam’s parents.”

She cast a look over to the younglings, who were staring like the others, and waved. They all glanced at Adam, who paused a moment before waving back, and then they waved as well. God chuckled a bit, then looked to Aziraphale and Crowley to say, “In all of existence, I have never been surprised. But you two… you have never ceased to surprise me.”

“I… Thank you, Lord.” Aziraphale managed to say, breathless and looking like he might faint. Crowley just looked at God, and she looked back at him with a sad smile.

“... I’m sorry you had to Fall, Crowley.” She said, and that simple sentence threw Crowley for a loop. Unfortunately, the emotion he chose to react with at that moment was anger, and he growled out, “It was you who did it.”

“I know. And it was a mistake. I could undo it, but I doubt you would want it. Instead, I offer this to you,” God said, holding her hand out, palm up, as an apple fell from the tree and into her hand, “Knowledge. No price this time, just a gift from me to the grooms.”

Aziraphale took the offered apple, looking worriedly between Crowley and God. She smiled again at them, saying, “More than anything, I am surprised you found each other again… Well, this was fun. Thank you for the invite and cake, it was simply scrumptious.”

And then they blinked, and she was gone.

It was awhile before Crowley could really process what had happened. The party resumed, a bit shaken but still wanting to keep going. They ate, drank, and danced. Crowley couldn’t have felt happier than he was when he was dancing with Aziraphale. But, like all good things, the party eventually came to an end, and the members parted ways.

Crowley and Aziraphale went back home in his Bentley, the little tin cans that had been attached removed for a calm, quiet drive. For awhile, they were silent, before Aziraphale held up the apple the Almighty gave them and said, “What do you think She meant? What kind of knowledge does this apple hold?”

“I have no idea Angel, and honestly I’d just toss that damn fruit out the window if I was you.” Crowley replied, still a bit upset.

“Crowley! Rebelling against Heaven and Hell is one thing, but throwing out a gift from God? Why that’s- that’s just absurd!”

“So what, you want to take a bite of that damn thing? After everything She’s-...”

“... Crowley? Dear, are you alright?”

“No, Angel, I’m not. My entire life, I’ve just- I always knew Hell was bad, but I thought at least God or Heaven was good. But just- just look at our history. Eden, She cast Adam and Eve out just for defying one easy-to-break rule. Mesopotamia, She killed an entire people- including kids- for the actions of some. Jesus, her own son, She allowed to be nailed to a damn cross and hung to dry!” Crowley hit the dash of his Bentley, too mad to think straight. He took a moment to compose himself, and felt Aziraphale’s hand on his shoulder, squeezing it softly.

Crowley sighed before leaning his head over to kiss Aziraphale’s hand before explaining, “It’s just… God isn’t good in my opinion. So I’m nervous about a gift from her. And what did she mean, anyway? That she was surprised we met again?”

It went unsaid, but a question hung in the air: did she mean before the Fall? They wouldn’t know until they took a bite of the apple, of course, and deciding that took time and lots of alcohol. Finally, after a good bit of back and forth arguing, Crowley agreed to try the apple. After the two got the alcohol out of their systems, Aziraphale cut the apple into halves and handed one to Crowley. And then, they took a bite.

The apple itself was fine, not anything special or terrible or anything, just fine. It was what came after that really sucked. It was like receiving orders from hell, but worse. Images, blasted into his mind, sound included, memories he had never known to had. Crowley saw it all: making the stars alongside God, questioning why humans needed to suffer, the war, falling, all of it. But most of all, he remembered Aziraphale; meeting him, spending time with him, falling in love with him, and finding him on the battlefield.

Once it was over, Crowley looked up from where he had fallen to his hands and knees on the floor to see Aziraphale, starring right back at him. They were silent for a long time, before Aziraphale asked him quietly, “Does this mean I should call you Raphael now?”

Crowley couldn’t help it, he burst out laughing, falling on his side as he did. Aziraphale moved to lie next to him, intertwining their fingers as they lay there together on Aziraphale’s horrid old rug.

“I can’t believe it. I was an Archangel. An angel of healing no less!”

“I can believe it. You have always cared more about humans than any demon or angel I’ve known.”

“And we were in love, even then.”

“We’ll I suppose that just proves it,” Aziraphale said as he turned his face from the ceiling to Crowley, “Love endures.”


End file.
